The National Information Commission (NIC) directed the Finance Ministry on July 12 to provide the detailed information of tax evaders within three days or furnish proper justifications asking why it should not publish tax evaders’ list.

The NIC gave such directive to the Finance Ministry in response to an application filed by the freedom1 Forum complaining that the Finance Ministry denied providing the details of VAT fraud scam within three days of the application.

The freedom1 Forum, as per the Right to Information Act, had filed an application in the Finance Minister on July 10, 2011, seeking detail information the tax evaders and a complete photocopy of a report of a probe committee on VAT evasion but in vain.

After it could not get the details of tax evaders from the Finance Ministry, the Forum moved to the NIC for the information of VAT fraud scam.

No existing law and legal provisions in the country can save VAT defaulters; and every public body is obliged to furnish the information about the issues of public importance as per the Right to Information Act 2007.

freedom1 Forum expects that with NIC’s directive to the Finance Ministry to provide information, both demand side and supply side are activated to expedite ahead the RTI campaign in Nepal. It obviously helps promote information culture in the country.